1) Is Diablo 4 Good? 

Many gamers remember the infamous launch of Diablo 3. For those who don’t, it was one of the most disastrous game releases in the last 20 years. The game had tons of technical errors, the gameplay was mediocre, and the design was so dark you could barely see what you were trying to fight.

Blizzard did a full overhaul of the game which led to the Diablo 3 we now know and love, but there was a lot of pressure on them to make sure that  Diablo 4 went off without a hitch. Luckily, this Diablo 4 is only Hellish in the ways they intended. Here’s a deep dive into the twisted and thrilling world of Sanctuary, and everything you need to know before entering Sanctuary yourself.. 

2) Story 

Diablo 4 takes place about 50 years after the events of Diablo 3. The people of Sanctuary struggle to survive amidst the continuous battle between Heaven and Hell. What no one expects is  a new player who is about to enter the scene and  throw them all into further havoc. It’s Lilith, Daughter of Mephisto and Progenitor of humans. Lilith is a big believer in following your heart-even to the most messed up and twisted places. As she roams the earth she drives humans to madness in her wake, meaning you’ll witness some pretty messed up stuff. 

Your job is to pursue Lilith and try and put an end to her bloody rule of Sanctuary before hate consumes  all-or worse. It’s a great premise that still includes a lot of interesting moments of moral conflict and character development that allows for a greater investment in the gameplay without feeling like it’s slowing the gameplay down. Plus, Diablo 4 did not mess around with its story graphics. 

3) Game Design 

A big complaint about Diablo 3 was the game design itself. The game was designed with a dark color palette, making it hard to see what was going on even after adjusting brightness settings. Beyond thatthe gameplay was glitchy and awkward. ou’d also be lucky if you managed to play long enough to get annoyed by these issues with how often the servers weres crashing. 

 Diablo 4 is a huge 180 from the mistakes made in Diablo 3 here. The storytelling graphics are detailed and beautiful, and while the game does tend to stay in a darker color realm it’s still varied and interesting enough that you can tell what’s going on. It’s not on level with legendary game designs like Witcher 3, but it’s not supposed to be. What is there is really well done and helps to enhance the gameplay, and it runs-for the most part-smoothly. 

4) Combat

Diablo 4 does not repeat the sins of Diablo 3 here either. The combat can get a little repetitive. The moves you use and the foes you fight but that’s more due to the class and build you go with (we’ll get more into that later). 

But while the enemies may get a little repetitive they are by no means easy to defeat. Players will have their fill of varied and challenging combat. Whatever your adventurer, you’ll find yourself facing some unsettling new monsters-and defeating them in new and truly satisfying ways. 

How you play the game will ultimately depend on the Class you choose. Each class has a particular leveling up mechanic along with their skill tree. The game provides plenty of options for Melee combat as well as group combat but players should prepare for a lot of hordes. Some Classes rely on weapons and items you find throughout Sanctuary more than others but it doesn’t hurt to spend some time treasure hunting for garb and gear that will help amplify your abilities. 

5) Classes and Build 

Like we mentioned earlier your class will determine a lot of how you experience the game. Classes with higher mobility and greater group attacks, like the Necromancer and the Sorcerer, ensure dominance over the battlefield. But it almost might be TOO much dominance, as you’ll find yourself using the same spells over and over again to take your enemies down. 

For players that appreciate a good strategic gamplay the Rogue may be a better choice. The Rogue has great mobility and stealth and can take out a whole group with a single swipe if built up correctly, but does require the player to spend a lot of time hunting down items to enhance and unlock its full power. 

The Barbarian takes the longest to level up to a level of  decent effectiveness, but once you do it’s totally worth it. Barbarians can be a beast. The Diablo 4 Barbarian also comes with 2 distinct builds to cater to your preferred gameplay and combat style.

 Speaking of beasts, the Druid is great at taking down demons using the powers of nature and shape shifting. It’s probably the most neutral of all the builds, which means players that love a super specific type of build will really enjoy it. But for  those players looking for a class that already packs a solid punch on its own, they may want to look elsewhere. 

6) Is it Fair? 

Here’s the thing-the game is hard. But the game is built in a way that puts all the power in the player’s hands. Classes are super customisable, from its build to its actual appearance. The game comes with multiple difficulty levels that offer not just a growing challenge, but a growing bonus advantage the harder the level is. So the old adage is really true here-the greater the risk, the greater the reward. 

Players should keep in mind that the advantage may not be worth it to play at Veteran level right away, since the actual class stats will be at Adventurer level regardless  of the difficulty you start on. Playing with your friends doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll face a  greater challenge either, but players should be wary if they ever find themselves venturing into a dungeon with all their best friends. The more players in your party the more damage the monsters deal. 

7) Gameplay

Like we mentioned before, the game has multiple difficulty settings. Only two are available from the beginning-Adventurer and Veteran. Adventurer is the easiest, but not necessarily easy. Returning players or advanced gamers will still find themselves dying more than a few times. After you complete Veteran you can unlock Nightmare, along with Nightmare Dungeons. After that is Torment, which is what players going through it will feel. There is rumor a Fifth tier may be added, but nothing is confirmed. (Yet) 

The basic mechanics of the game remain mostly the same, with some key changes. Health Orbs are not automatically collected; instead players must rely on Potions and Healing Pools. The Classes have been updated  to include some new ones like Necromancer, as well as  some upgrades to the old classics like Barbarian. New players should keep in mind that Waypoints must be interacted with to be unlocked, and you have to pin locations in order to get directions while walking. Also, weapons will degrade each time you die. So, try not to do that. 

8) Replayability 

This game  offers endless reasons to replay it. First of all, there’s the four tiers of difficulty. For each  tier you move up, you gain not only more  EXP but more gold for each enemy you kill. Plus once you unlock Nightmare you also unlock Nightmare Dungeons, which hold tons of vicious enemies but also tons of great loot. Each of the 5 Classes offer a unique and exciting new way to beat the game, and within each class are crazy powerful builds worth exploring. Plus there are  interesting side quests that deliver good prizes upon completing them. If that’s STILL not enough there’s Multiplayer  Dungeons and Missions. If you somehow get through all of that and find it’s still not enough, don’t worry-rumor has it Blizzard  is launching a Fifth Tier to the Game, and it seems like it’s probably true. When we can’t be sure, but we do know Blizzard is dropping Diablo 4 Season 1 Mid to Late July. You won’t be bored for long. 

9) Updates and New Content 

Like we said, for those of you who can’t get enough of Hell don’t worry-Blizzard has you covered. Blizzard announced when they dropped the game June 6 they wanted to give players time to complete the campaigns before getting logged down in Seasonal Distractions. They wanted to allow players to fully focus on the story. This means we have plenty of juicy new Diablo 4 Gameplay and Lore to look forward to. There’s also rumors that along with a new game device this update will also include a Fifth Tier, namely The Power Tier. Blizzard just dropped a Trailer that seems to confirm this but didn’t confirm a date. Still, we definitely have some interesting updates  to the world of  Sanctuary to look forward to. 

10) Is it Fun?

Blizzard knew they had to nail this game and were determined not to repeat the mistakes of their past. It may not be the best game ever, but they definitely made up for the disaster of the original Diablo 3. It’s a super twisted and enticing premise even without the First Season released and I can’t wait to see just how much more twisted the story can get. You get to face Lilith on your own terms through choosing your class and customizing your build, and the increasing difficulty of the combat will keep you from ever getting bored. This is a depraved and delightful romp through a truly terrifying landscape that will leave you wanting more and coming back to Sanctuary again and again and again.